Exercise.

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I was having daily anxiety and stress. Until I started doing exercise every day. Today I spent 50 minutes in the gym doing a mixture of cardio and weightlifting.

When I exercise (and listen to music on my headphones) I feel this calmness which I rarely feel if I don't exercise every day.

Does anyone else get this experience?

Exercise also helps me sleep. If I stay at home all day doing no exercise, I will not be able to sleep until 2 or 3am.

Yes, That is one reason I love sports. Sports and exercise really help me. I think the chemicals the body releases when I am doing them make a big difference. And I love lots of different sports. I find them relaxing as well as invigorating. And I love a good sweat, it is so detoxifying and healthy.

Yes, exercise is hugely helpful.

For certain kinds of anxiety, I still need meds, but exercise reduces that need a lot.
It also generally improves my overall cognitive state and functioning. I walk at least 40 minutes a day and it's good. I notice the downturns when I miss it.

I do martial arts and can relate to a certain extent.
When I'm doing martial arts exercices I don't think about things that make me worried and anxious because I'm doing something I enjoy, also those who do martial arts with me are nice people and some of them are friends.
Also the sensei and her daughter (who helps her out sometimes) are very good at teaching and are very patient.
Now my martial art course broke up for the summer vacations and it will start again in September.

I exercise 3 times a week at home to keep fit during summer.

I love running and cycling. If I don't exercise for a couple of days my mood goes off and I'm just not happy.

I also feel the most at peace when I'm exercising. My worries seem to melt away and I enjoy myself.

Each type of exercise has its own purpose for me, both physical and mental. Walking in the woods is where I connect spiritually, solve problems, and unwind. Indoors weight lifting, in addition to the practical benefits of being able to lift heavy stuff when I need to, soothes my mind and helps me focus. Yoga and pilates are calming. Setting aside an hour or so every day to exercise seems like such a small price to pay for the benefits.

Back in the early '80s I got into cycling, and ended up getting super fit and racing bikes. There are so many cool things about cycling... riding in the peloton... eating whatever you want and not gaining weight, your bones get hard, your heart rate drops... you get all strong and thin.. Cycling... racing bikes was the most fun I ever had, and it pretty much changed my life. There is nothing like being really fit.

Im a bodybuilder, without that and music I would be completely screwed, like what you said theres a certain tranquillity about it and also it releases endorphins and makes it impossible to be unhappy for at least half an hour afterwards.

Exercise definitely helps. Humans weren't made to sit still all the time, and we shouldn't force ourselves to. I walk a couple of miles about five times a week or so; that gets me sunshine and physical activity. And I chase my cat, and am chased by my cat, down the hallway... good thing we are on the ground floor!

There's no magical effect that it has on me; it's just that when I start to notice its lack, life gets harder. Last January I got bronchitis, which triggered exercise-induced asthma, and I couldn't get to a doctor to get it treated until early this month. I had to spend months walking slowly, like an old lady, because I couldn't catch my breath. I was so, so happy to be able to walk fast again. It was just painful not to be able to exert myself as I'm used to doing.

(Thread moved from Autism discussion to Health, Fitness, and Sports)

If it wasn't for exercise I would be in prison dead addicted to drugs or in a mental hospital

I over did it on the exercise front yesterday. I am quite prone to doing that too.

I can definitely relate to the posts here. Exercise serves as a foundation to almost everything positive in my life. Without it, I have noticed a domino effect take place where it negatively affects my sleep habits, diet, hygiene, mood, and cleanliness. My discipline then dies, followed by any motivation to do anything. Losing track of my life goals, the cognitive distortions and self-loathing follow suit and I then have to exert a lot of energy to get myself out of that hole. Yikes!